by Pam Geary, MA, MBA, MPH, Project Manager, Boston Hemophilia Center
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived with little warning, and many of us were not prepared. Millions of people were laid off. Businesses, schools and day cares closed. Life as we knew it turned upside down, and we are still trying to adapt to the ever-changing conditions. It’s left many of us in need of support.
If you need any help or resources, please contact your HTC social worker. For the Boston Hemophilia Center pediatric service social worker, call Jackie Miranda, MSW, LICSW, at 617-355-5250. For the Boston Hemophilia Center adult service social worker, contact Amanda Stahl, MSW, LICSW, at 617-732-7197 or astahl@bwh.harvard.edu.
Our social workers can help you by providing evaluations, information and referrals, according to your individual situation and needs. They are psychosocial professionals who are familiar with the various medical, physical, emotional and financial resources that are available, and how you can access them.
If you would like to check out public website resources, the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) website has a comprehensive list of patient copay assistance programs and COVID-19 resources at www.hemophilia.org/Newsroom/COVID- 19-Information. If you have questions, call HANDI, NHF’s Information Resource Center, at 1-800-424-2634. New England Hemophilia Association (NEHA), our regional consumer chapter, also provides a list of resources at www.newenglandhemophilia.org/resources/covid19/.